The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-03/11/1999 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Southwestern trustees add 4 profs, elect new officers by Matt Sanders Date: March 11, 1999 - Thursday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's trustees approved the addition of four professors, elected new officers and approved the largest budget in the seminary’s history during the board's spring meeting March 8-10 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The school of theology added George Klein as an associate professor of Old Testament and Michael Barnett as an associate professor of missions. The school of educational ministries added Margaret Lawson as an assistant professor of foundations of education, while the school of church music added Stanley Warren as an associate professor of voice.
Miles Seaborn, retired pastor of Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth, was elected chairman of the trustees March 9. After chairman Ollin Collins resigned just before the fall meeting in October, Seaborn, the vice chairman, stepped in to serve as acting chairman. A trustee since 1993, Seaborn chaired the search committee that recommended Kenneth S. Hemphill to the seminary’s presidency in 1994, and he is immediate past president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
The new vice chairman is Michael Dean, pastor of Travis Avenue Baptist, Fort Worth, and the new secretary is Matthew McKellar, pastor of Sylvania Baptist Church, Tyler, Texas.
Klein comes to Southwestern from Criswell College in Dallas, where he has served as a professor since 1984 and as academic dean since 1992. He also was editor of the Criswell Theological Review from 1989-96. Klein has a Ph.D. and a master's degree from Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning, Philadelphia, a master of divinity from Southwestern, and degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary and Baylor University, Waco, Texas.
"Dr. Klein is an incredible linguist in numerous biblical languages," said Southwestern President Kenneth S. Hemphill. "His classroom evaluations at Criswell College have been outstanding. He is also a well-published author."
Barnett has been with the International Mission Board since 1989, most recently as administrative associate for North Africa and the Middle East. He has lived in England since 1992. Barnett has a Ph.D. and master of divinity from Southwestern and a bachelor of arts from the University of Houston.
"While we understand Dr. Barnett's appointment will be a great loss for the IMB, we feel like it will be an opportunity to expand and multiply his impact because Southwestern trains about 51 percent of all Southern Baptist missionaries," Hemphill said.
"Being able to enlarge and enhance [the missions] program is key to us. That's who we are," he said.
Lawson returns to Southwestern from her latest positions as an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University and minister of discipleship and prayer at Springdale Baptist Church, Fort Worth. She has worked as director of Southwestern's curriculum center and earned a Ph.D. and a master of arts in religious education from the school. Lawson earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Africa in Pretoria.
"Dr. Lawson will be a wonderful mentor for our ladies," Hemphill said.
Lawson will also be working with Paula Hemphill to develop Southwestern's women-in-ministry strategy.
Warren brings a long list of music ministry, education and performance experience to Southwestern. He comes from Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, where he serves as assistant professor of voice and music history. He has a doctorate from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., and master's and bachelor's degrees from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York City.
Warren has served in the music ministry of churches in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Colorado and performed at numerous churches and with opera companies, symphonies and choirs.
"Dr. Warren is a world-class tenor soloist and has a heart for the local church and a passion for students," Hemphill said. "He combines those elements that we think are distinctive of our music program."
In his report to the trustees, Hemphill said:
-- Enrollment is growing steadily.
-- International student spring enrollment is 188, surpassing the fall record of 181.
-- Southwestern is unique among SBC seminaries in its Islamic study focus.
-- Keith Kline has been named director of leadership development.
-- Phase II plans for the leadership development center are being reviewed by Fort Worth officials and phase I construction should be completed late this summer
-- When completed, the leadership development center will be at the heart of Southern Baptist training.
-- The seminary's computers are Y2K compliant.
Hemphill said he was encouraged by the trustees' enthusiastic affirmation of the theological education in the 21st century committee report given by committee chairman Daryl Eldridge, dean of the school of educational ministries.
Eldridge's report included the vision statement that Southwestern will be "a community of faith and learning which develops spiritual leaders with a passion for Christ and the Bible, a love for people, and skills to minister in a rapidly changing world."
"The trustees were so positive, so enthusiastic about Southwestern's intentionally moving into the 21st century as a dynamic, innovative school built on the historic foundation of good classical teaching ... with a greater emphasis on leadership skills and foundational principles such as spiritual formation and evangelism," Hemphill said.
Eldridge also shared with trustees plans to develop courses that teach core competencies all students will share, no matter what school they are in.
"I think the core value that the trustees were most excited about was the spiritual formation that will involve all our new students in small groups that are faculty-led," Hemphill said.
Trustees approved the seminary's $27.3 million budget, an all-time high.
"We are thankful to God and to our Southern Baptist constituency for their continued outstanding giving to the Cooperative Program," Hemphill said, noting tuition will increase $5 per credit hour to $80, making the total cost per hour the same as in 1997, after a reduction in tuition for the current academic year.
The trustees adopted a resolution thanking Southern Baptists "for their continuing support and affirmation of our Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program, the greatest method in history of providing a broad base of support for every phase of our Southern Baptist outreach everywhere, including missions, evangelism and education."
Southwestern receives 41 percent of its operating funds from the Cooperative Program.
Trustees also adopted a resolution thanking Southwestern's president, administration, faculty, students, support staff and constituency "for their devotion to their respective tasks God has assigned them here and for approaching these assignments in a proactive manner and God-honoring way with a commitment to excellence."
Trustees voted to change the name of the ombudsman committee to the trustee liaison committee and to continue to meet with the faculty council, which was formerly the faculty ombudsman committee.
Hemphill said the changes are evidence of continued dialogue and cooperation between the faculty and trustees.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Accreditation notations resolved, Midwestern Seminary announces by Date: March 11, 1999 - Thursday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has received word from the Association of Theological Schools that two notations which had been in place since before 1996 have been removed from Midwestern’s accreditation.
“All notations by ATS have now been lifted,” said Jim Cogdill, academic dean at the Kansas City, Mo., seminary. “We are thankful for the report so that our students can know their degree is fully accredited.”
The notations were regarding evaluative procedures and future financial planning. Reports prepared by Cogdill and Michael Whitehead, Midwestern’s vice president for business affairs, showed the seminary had implemented procedures addressing all the ATS concerns. The ATS Commission on Accrediting met in January and accepted the seminary’s report.
Cogdill expressed appreciation to Robert Vaughn, assistant professor of Christian education at Midwestern, for his assistance in preparing the final report and for the assistance of Michael Gilligan and Kathryn Amos of ATS’ staff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- New NAMB conference offers tools for developing ‘on-mission’ ch by James Dotson Date: March 11, 1999 - Thursday ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--The North American Mission Board’s recent emphasis on developing “on-mission” individuals and churches will continue this summer with the revamped “On Mission ’99” conference at Ridgecrest (N.C.) Conference Center June 26-July 2.
The conference builds on last year’s inaugural “On Mission ’98” event, with separate tracks directly targeting the needs of local churches and their leaders.
“The power and potential for reaching North America is in the local church,” said Nate Adams, NAMB’s vice president for mobilization and mission education. “What we’ve really tried to do is structure the conference the way a church would think about reaching its world, not just the way program leaders of the denomination would think about reaching the world.”
The eight tracks of the conference -- most of which relate to specific leadership positions in the church -- will emphasize worship, education, students, member mobilization, evangelism, church starting, prayer and growing an on-mission church.
Joint worship services will unite church leadership teams and families in their shared mission of reaching the world for Christ. Speakers will include Robert E. “Bob” Reccord, NAMB president; Henry Blackaby, co-author of “Experiencing God;” Gary Frost, pastor of Rising Star Baptist Church, Youngstown, Ohio; Mike Hamlet, pastor of First Baptist Church, North Spartanburg, S.C.; and Doug Munton, pastor of First Baptist Church, O’Fallon, Ill.
The weekend sessions will be focused primarily on worship and inspiration, with Reccord and Blackaby leading the worship sessions. Monday will be largely free for family time and recreational activities, and Tuesday through Thursday will include morning Bible studies, small-group workshops and evening worship services.
The conference encompasses the full spectrum of being an on-mission Christian, from reaching one’s next-door neighbor to helping reach individuals across the globe.
“The idea is that a church shouldn’t think about missions as either/or, North America or the world,” Adams said. “Every church should have a ‘Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and uttermost parts’ mentality. So when you start talking about an on-mission church … the focus isn’t just the work of the missionaries, but the focus becomes the church’s task of reaching people locally, nationally and worldwide.”
Separate programs also will be offered for spouses, youth and children.
The conference fee is $79 for individuals -- with discounts for multiple registrants from the same church reaching as low as $39 if registered before March 31. Added to this would be lodging costs at the Ridgecrest Conference Center. Additional family members may register for $20 each. For more information, visit the www.namb.net/onmission99 Internet website or call 1-800-588-7222.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Discovery of son’s homosexuality leads parents to support group effor by Carl M. White Date: March 11, 1999 - Thursday LOUISVILLE, Miss. (BP)--It all began when a church friend stopped Jane Doe in a store and said, “We're praying for you and your family.” Jane was taken aback, because she wasn't aware of the friend's genuine concern.
It turned out Jane's son had called the friend's daughter to tell her that he was in the homosexual lifestyle.
That was May 1998. In the months since then, Jane and John Doe (the names of the people involved have been withheld for reasons of privacy) have searched for God's help and guidance.
"When we first learned of our son's chosen lifestyle, I made the comment that nothing good could come from this. It is our family policy to find the good in any situation we face, because we have learned that where good can be found, there also is the Lord," John said.
Now, however, something good has emerged. A Love in Action seminar at First Baptist Church, Louisville, Miss., the home church of the Does, drew 57 people Feb. 26-27 and has prompted the formation of a church support group.
The seminar was for parents, grandparents, ministers and anyone else who wanted to know more about how the church can respond to homosexuality, Jane said.
It was led by the staff of Colorado-based Love in Action ministry and included the testimony of a former homosexual man and lesbian woman, plus the testimony of a couple who took care of their son as he died of AIDS.
After hearing the shocking news from her church friend, Jane went straight to her husband, who called their son and asked three questions: Are you gay? Are you sure? Did you call these people and tell them this?
The answer to all three questions was "Yes." They drove that evening to his apartment to find out more.
"We were devastated," John said. "Numb. You heard him say it, but you didn't want to believe it. At first you think it is just a phase. Give it a while and he will get over it."
"We didn't understand homosexuality," Jane added. "It is not just a phase. He had changed, displaying flamboyant mannerisms we had never seen before.”
"We started asking questions and he would answer. We were not educated about this. It was embarrassing," John said.
"Our son is a Christian. He told us he is still God's child, but he said he was not in God's will. Later he started saying God made him this way," Jane said.
Their son had been a leader in the youth group of their church. He spent a summer doing missions work and struggled for a while with whether God was calling him into the ministry, Jane said.
"He was the kind of youth that other young people came to for spiritual help," she said. "Now, he is just the opposite."
As a mother, Jane felt an immense need to try and "fix" her son.
"You go back over everything in his life, from when he was a baby and on, believing there must be something you did, something you can fix," she said.
She began calling everywhere trying to find out information so she could fix the problem.
Her calling led to the discovery of a Love in Action-sponsored support group meeting on Wednesday evenings at Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tenn.
"From the support group, we learned how to deal with things, and we learned about what was to come," John said.
They immediately learned that the first goal of a homosexual is to try and conform his family into accepting his lifestyle as normal.
"All 10 families involved in the support group said the same things happened to them. He would come home. He knew exactly what buttons to push in us, upsetting us," John said.
"The support group focuses on conformity. We can either conform to the Holy Spirit's leadership in our lives or we can conform to Satan's lies and deceptions," Jane said.
The support group also indicated that the Does would experience a predictable pattern of behavior from their son, much like that of a drug addict or an alcoholic:
-- Financial troubles. "He was spending all his money and would spend all of ours if allowed," John said.
-- Compulsive lying. "Five of every 10 words out of his mouth would be a lie," Jane said.
-- Multiple sex partners. Jane said the literature they read indicated that a male homosexual may have hundreds of partners in a year, while a female lesbian may have only two or three partners in a lifetime.
-- Compulsion to stay in contact with homosexual friends and lovers. "When he would visit, every 20-30 minutes he would be on the phone calling someone," Jane said.
-- Revising family history. "He told me one day, 'All mothers of gay men know their sons are gay.' I told him that he could take one mother off that list because I never had any idea he was gay, but after being told this over and over again, some mothers just give in and accept it as fact. They conform," Jane said.
-- Argumentative. "He can be very convincing. He never stops trying to conform us. He even gave us a book that says gay people are created this way by God," Jane said.
-- Other addictions, like drugs and alcohol, are often involved.
-- Defused personal boundaries. "From our support group we learned tough love and how to hold to personal boundaries,” Jane said.
"You also learn how not to feel guilty all the time. You learn how to not give in to thinking that if I just go along this time maybe it will bring him back," John said.
-- Shocking behavior and plans, often said just for the shock effect. "Like the first time he told us he was going to marry his lover -- we would have been shocked, but we were ready for this because of our support group," John said.
-- Severed relationships and blaming. "When you don't conform, then they get very angry, sever the relationship and blame you.
"At first, he would come home, sometimes two or three times a week. Now he hardly comes at all," John said.
When their son learned they were attending the support group, he even started to belittle them about it.
"Our support group let us know how to deal with all of this. We invited him to go to counseling and we all went for one session, but he wouldn't go back. 'You need counseling. I don't,' was his response,” Jane said.
"I told him I had been (to counseling) and would go again if he would, but he said no.
"I realized that what was happening to our son was just what the Bible says -- he exchanged the truth for a lie," Jane said.
The Does have struggled with their son's choice to enter the homosexual lifestyle. Yet, they feel it has actually strengthened their relationship with each other and with God.
They hope that out of the seminar in their church similar support groups will be started around the state.
"The support group can be a safe haven for those who are struggling with this issue,” John said. “We have acknowledged God in all of this. It is nothing we have done. We are two little grains of salt in the sea, but God uses us.
"We hope and pray our son will one day hit low enough to decide he no longer wants to be in the lifestyle," John said.
"I believe when you pray and ask God for help, God answers," Jane said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Wounded Heroes' told God can restart the music in their lives by Toby Druin Date: March 11, 1999 - Thursday RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)--Divorce, death and disappointments along the way can rob a minister of his song, but God can start the music again, more than 100 beleaguered ministers and their wives were told.
Greg Kirksey, president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, used the song and music analogy while speaking at the final session of the fourth Wounded Heroes Retreat at Ridgecrest (N.C.) Conference Center.
Kirksey, who now serves at the Alexander Youth Services Center in Little Rock, lost his 39-year-old wife to breast cancer in l994 and then the pastorate of First Baptist Church, Benton, Ark., when he announced he would marry a woman who had been divorced before she became a Christian.
After a "dream-come-true" existence for 40 years and a ministry that began when he was 16, Kirksey found himself out of the pastorate but exactly where he felt God wanted him -- as pastor to Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden, the youthful shooters in the Jonesboro, Ark., school massacre last year.
"I broke down and cried because I knew God wanted me there," Kirksey said.
"God's presence transformed a desert night into a wonderful place. It can do the same for you. His presence in this moment can transform your life and start the music again."
Kirksey was one of more than a dozen "encouragers" who spoke to the 47 couples and seven singles attending the February retreat for ministers and their spouses, many of whom have also lost loved ones or their places of ministry or feel they are on the verge of it.
Ike Reighhard, pastor of NorthStar Church, Kennesaw, Ga., lost his first wife in childbirth and had a disappointing experience at a leading Atlanta church, but was joined on the retreat rostrum by his new wife, Robin, and both rejoiced in the new life and ministry God has given them in a new congregation averaging more than 1,600 in worship.
Gary Miller, formerly pastor of Sagamore Hill Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, and his wife, Dana, said the pressures of an inner-city ministry and personal responsibilities had drained them physically and emotionally, but the first Wounded Heroes retreat last year in Dallas had reaffirmed them.
"I felt like God was saying my hand is still on you," Miller said. "God gave me a new heart for ministry while I was in Fort Worth." He is now pastor of Rockdale Baptist Church, Conyers, Ga., and he and Dana are active with Wounded Heroes.
Greg Mathis, immediate past president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, and pastor of Mud Creek Baptist Church, Hendersonville, N.C., reminded retreat participants they would never be forgotten by God who cared enough he gave his Son, and that only God will be their ultimate judge.
Michael Hamlet, pastor of First Baptist Church of North Spartanburg, S.C., said it takes "real courage to attack real issues" and there is "integrity in saying I'm not going to quit."
"God is not through with you yet," he said, urging his retreat audience to "plow on."
Another Carolinian, Renee Scheidt, who has a music ministry in China Grove, N.C., told of losing her pastor husband to suicide more than 11 years ago. "The healing of emotions takes time," she said. "But as friends began to pray, I received God's grace."
Polly Cooper Brown of Dallas, who heads the counseling program for Wounded Heroes, noted in spite of a doctorate in psychology and her own profession, she had lost her identity as a pastor's wife when she was divorced after 30 years of marriage. Now remarried to Ned Brown, she said she has made a new life for herself but still has a sense of loss.
Millie Cooper, wife of Kenneth Cooper, founder of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, encouraged participants to become physically fit. "Nothing I know of will help your depression like walking," she said. "It's amazing how many people find time for exercise after their first heart attack."
Pastor Chet Haney and his wife, Terri, drove 850 miles from Parkside Baptist Church, Denison, Texas, to speak to the retreat participants, whom Haney described as "God's awe-stars." Quoting Psalm 147: 3-5, Haney said, "I always knew the Lord made the stars and heals broken hearts ... and numbers them in the same breath."
Two things have sustained him during his life, Haney said -- "a relationship with an awesome God and my relationship with my wife."
Claude Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Church of Euless, reminded the participants that though no two people may find themselves in the same circumstances or feel the same way about their circumstances, God cares. Jesus demonstrated his care and concern in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said.
"You can't fix everything that goes wrong in your life," he said. "When you can't fix it, forget it."
Wendell Estep, pastor of First Baptist Church, Columbia, S.C., said that though ministers have wonderful expectations when they begin their work, "There's always someone or something to make the ministry tough" -- daily pressures and personal attacks.
"God can use difficult times for his purpose," he said. "Adversity contributes to humility. God can use the hard times to shape us" much as a blacksmith shapes steel.
God uses rough times to remind Christians of his presence and to release them from bondage and give them freedom, he said.
"In tough times we can rebel, quit or respond positively. React positively -- pray. It's right to pray. Wait for an answer, and accept it when it comes and learn from it. Ask God what he is teaching you."
Jerry Rankin, president of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, and his wife, Bobbye, reminded those at the retreat that "fulfilling God's calling is the ultimate goal of what anyone can do." They had experienced difficulties in their early days as missionaries in Indonesia, they said -- isolation, serious illness, family crises, even rejection by the people to whom they were trying to minister, but the encouragement of other missionaries and the presence of God sustained them.
When her father was killed and her mother seriously injured in an automobile wreck in Mississippi, Bobbye Rankin said when she finally reached her mother's bedside she found "God was there. Within my Spirit I saw God was on his throne."
In all of those difficulties, Rankin said, "Though we sometimes didn't understand at the time, in retrospect we realized that though Satan was attacking us, God was there."
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastor & wife buoyed by church, community after son takes his life by Connie Davis Date: March 11, 1999 - Thursday FRIENDSHIP, Tenn. (BP)--The fact it was Good Friday when it happened was even more difficult for Mike and Sandra Melton. Their only child, Jeff, 22, took his life on the day when God allowed his own son to die.
The couple doesn't think Jeff chose the day. In fact, they realize now Jeff was so depressed he wasn't aware of the date and its significance.
But they are sure he was a good son, although he didn't believe it according to his farewell note and conversations just prior to his death. And they believe they will be reunited with him in heaven because he was a Christian.
Like many young adults, Jeff was trying to find his place in the world, said his father, Mike Melton, pastor of Friendship (Tenn .) Church.
After several years of trying to find his niche in college, he moved to Dyersburg, Tenn., and began working. In early 1998, he lost his job. Then Jeff started working for a company in sales work. He became discouraged when potential clients canceled appointments and sales were slow, Melton said.
Jeff also had some personal problems he had discussed several times with his father, including the evening prior to his death. Melton left their last encounter encouraged, with the impression Jeff had reached a turning point in his life.
Unfortunately, Jeff either didn't feel that way or changed his mind. His parents will never know.
Learning about Jeff's death and the fact he took his own life was the hardest thing Mike and Sandra Melton ever endured, they said.
"It was all a blur," Mike Melton said. But he remembers some things. He recalled when his friend, the town’s mayor and member of the church, told him Jeff had committed suicide. The man prefaced his report with the warning that Melton was about to hear the toughest fact he would ever hear.
That level of understanding was found in every interaction the Meltons had during the next couple of months, they said.
And people were not only sensitive, they were available, the Meltons added.
"Within a matter of minutes [of when they learned about Jeff's death], the whole town was here," said Sandra.
Part of the reason for the amount of support they received was their long tenure, they explained. Melton has served as pastor of Friendship Baptist Church for 12 years. And the town is close-knit, with a population of about 600.
That evening, the deacons met with Melton and told him they understood Jeff didn't have insurance to cover funeral expenses. The church would cover those expenses, they assured him.
The next morning, people returned, Sandra added. They arrived with food, their prayers and offers of help in preparation for the funeral. And the couple got many phone calls from friends, some who live in other areas and even other states.
Another reason for the response was that people knew Jeff, who had grown up in the community. He was known for his love of children, they said.
The next day, Easter, was Jeff's funeral. And people came again. The sanctuary was filled with one of the largest crowds it had held in 12 years. All of the pastors in Crockett Baptist Association attended along with others from the area and from out of state. And another crowd attended the graveside service.
The couple received more than 300 cards and gifts. And they continued to receive other contacts, some following an announcement which appeared in the Baptist and Reflector state paper. A few of the contacts were eerie in terms of their relevance to their situation, the pastor said.
For example, a friend who had lost a son by suicide traveled some distance to attend the graveside service. And he came despite the fact Melton didn't contact him. Friends who had lost their children through accidents also comforted the couple.
Sandra recalled several contacts from people who had relationships with Jeff. One woman wrote to tell the couple how much Jeff's friendship had meant to her son, a fellow classmate who had endured ostracism because of the family's poverty. And a friend called to say he was thankful for Jeff's witness to him.
The Meltons realize they may be rare among ministers, whose job is to minister, because they have been the recipients of ministry.
They realize they are a living example of what they have known throughout their ministry -- that pastors and their families are human despite the expectations by others and themselves to be superhuman. In fact, the expectations of pastors and their families concerning themselves may sabotage their efforts, Mike Melton said.
They feel guilt over Jeff's death, but they have come to realize guilt is associated with suicide and it doesn't mean they were failures as parents. Melton added he is comforted by people "who don't look at me in any different way."
Church members have modeled that acceptance, they said.
The deacons gave Melton time off, as much as he felt he needed, in addition to providing the funeral. And on Father's Day and Mother's Day, the deacons held a prayer
time for Melton to strengthen him during those sensitive days.
The congregation was assisted in its ministry to the Meltons by Conroy Ryan of Madison-Chester and Crockett Baptist associations. Ryan, who was a staff member at a church where the pastor committed suicide, spoke at the church and conducted a question-and-answer period for members.
The Meltons have resumed their ministries different people.
Mike reported he is a better pastor having experienced this loss. And Mike and Sandra have learned how many friends they have and how great God is.
"If God can help us through this, then God can lead us through anything," the pastor said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker challenges Calvinism as not reflecting God’s grace by Robyn Little Date: March 11, 1999 - Thursday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Looking at God's grace through a Calvinistic view is missing what God means by grace, said Frank Page, pastor of Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga., during a March 4 chapel service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
"Calvinism presents a God who arbitrarily selects some to be saved and some to be lost," Page said, adding grace is not a term of selection but an expression of love and acceptance.
A Calvinistic perspective on grace misses the most important part of the true nature of grace, he said.
"It portrays a nature of God who is capricious and even cruel in his selection of those who would be elect and non-elect," he said.
Page cautioned that by seeing a God who selects his children randomly with no concern for the lost, Christians are not genuinely seeing who God is.
"Not only does the Calvinistic view portray a nature of God that is other than that in the Bible, but it also neglects an overall teaching of [the nature of God] in the Scripture," he said.
Quoting Titus 2:11, which speaks of God's grace and the salvation he offers to all, Page said it is "inaccurate and dangerous to adopt philosophies that are manmade" because they are faulty and are not from God's Word.
He did not completely discount human philosophies, stating that they may have some parts, if based wholly on Scripture, that are correct. The problem, he said, is where to draw the line between what is true and what is not.
"We may agree with the Calvinists in the total depravity of man or with the Armenians in their free will concept, but the Scripture is so plain," he said. "Scripture shows that grace is a gift that God desires to give all men.
"Without looking at other doctrines, we need to look at the doctrine of the gospel," he said, adding God's true nature can only be seen by looking fully at his grace and God's Word is always the ultimate authority on the matters of God's grace.
The wonderful thing about grace, he said, is that God's grace does not end once one has accepted God's forgiveness and received Christ as Savior.
"God's grace is not only a saving grace, but it's enabling grace, living grace and daily grace," he continued.
Telling students that God's grace is the tool God uses to train his children in righteous living, Page said, "God's grace involves us in the greatest training school in the world."
By continually walking in God's grace, God instructs Christians on how to become more Christlike and less worldly, he said, adding "God's grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions."
Page also reminded students that just as God is always available to help Christians walk in righteousness and holiness, Satan is also around to distract and destroy them.
"Be more aware of Satan's footprints so we will know where he is trying to make an inroad into our lives," he cautioned. This is a vital step in pursuing the righteousness that God desires Christians to have, he said.
"The Bible says God wants us to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives," Page emphasized. To truly live that way, he said, Christians need to accept the grace that God has given and use it in the way that he desires.